Batteries?

[George Frudakis]

My refrigerator will not go to AC power and now my generator will not start. it clicks very softly. Which batteries does the generator run off the house I think? I going to get new house batteries flood cell, price 104 and they will install for 40 dollars. I wanted to go to AMG but at 300 per battery, I ranter do other bucket list items to my beaver. Thoughts

[Carl Boger]

I believe that your generator starts from you Chassis batteries.  That is the way it shows to be wired on my 1998 Patriot.  Looking at the Marquis wiring diagram from 1996 it shows to be wired the same.  I could not find it it shown in the 2000 or 2003 Marquis wiring but may have just missed it.  It is online in the members only section.

[Joel Ashley]

Although there are exceptions I guess, our genset is one that cranks off the chassis batteries.  If that’s your instance, than the fridge issue is a separate one probably related to its circuitry, such as the board.  The genset’s clicking implies battery or cable connection problems. 

It’s not uncommon to read herein of poor + or ground connections at the genset or one of its switches.  If your coach starts okay, and someone here can verify your 2002 Marquis genset is chassis battery dependent, then the first place I’d check is those genset connections.  There should be one extra heavy black cable going to a chassis bat. Positive post if the genset starts from them.

Hopefully this gives you some minimal guidance at least.

Joel

[George Frudakis]

Thanks, I check all the connections.  Do you know where the fuse is for the refrigerator on the outside (compartment behind the refrigerator) area the will allow it to switch to AC or propane?

[Bill Lampkin]

Look for a black plastic box, inside is the main circuit board and fuse.

[Bill Lampkin]

I should have said look inside the refrigerator outside compartment, in there you will find the black box. Sorry if I steered you wrong!

[Gene Obie]

Your refrigerator AC likely comes from your inverter...which is powered from house battery. So if both your house and coach batteries are dead you would not be able to start your generator or run your inverter until batteries are charged. If you have a voltmeter I would measure your battery voltage directly on each of the battery sets (house and chassis).

[Bill Lampkin]

Gene, Absorption refrigerators draw way too much AC current in AC mode to be powered from an inverter. You will see two receptacles in the outside refrigerator compartment. One is fed from shore / generator power, that's the one the fridge is plugged into. The other receptacle will have the icemaker plugged into it and will be labeled icemaker (maybe inverter) its this receptacle that is powered from the inverter. The idea is that when on propane (and inverter) you can still make ice for your G&Ts!

[Gene Obie]

Ah, missed this was absorption fridge. My Marquis has a residential and I just saw Marquis in the sig and assumed it was the same.

[Lee Welbanks]

Your generator power comes from the chassis battery's unless somebody change the feed around. As Ashley stated see if your coach will start, if it does see if the gene will crank now. If the gene starts the problem is probably a poor connection somewhere in the 12V feed from the battery's to the generator.
On my 06 Patriot Thunder the gene would not start unless the Cat was running, the cable from the front runbox was too long and too small a gauge to handle the amps to start the gene. Replaced the cable with the proper size and length and she starts now.

[Keith Moffett]

Some issues on Beavers having to do with the ground wire from the Gen set to the MH chassis being too small and poor / dirty connections.  Perhaps someone has more on this.
I do suggest a multi meter check on the batteries before starting the engine due to the strain on the alternator if batteries are low.

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Monaco, in their wisdom , wired the geni start to the house batteries in 07 Contessas and Montereys. The 07 Patriots and Marquis used the chassis batteries. There is a Common Problems writeup outlining the procedure to change the wiring back to the chassis batteries.
Steve